


Frozen Easter

by Maiden_of_the_Moon_13



Series: Daughters of Jack Frost [1]
Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (Disney Movies), Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Moana (2016), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Bunny and Jack get off on the wrong foot, Elsa is still shy, Eventual Romance, Family, Follows movie, I don't know how to tag this, Jack Frost is a Parent, M/M, Mentions of self-harm, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Strong language sprinkled for flavor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 15:48:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21914395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiden_of_the_Moon_13/pseuds/Maiden_of_the_Moon_13
Summary: Jack Frost comes across five young seasonal spirits after a run-in with shadow creatures. He takes them in and raises them as his own. How would that change when he is chosen to become a guardian?
Relationships: E. Aster Bunnymund/Jack Frost
Series: Daughters of Jack Frost [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578403
Comments: 32
Kudos: 227





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> My first crossover fic! This little number has been in my head for a while and since watching the Rise of the Guardian again, I have been wanting to write.

How long has he been alone? The years sort of blended together as blue eyes stared up at the starry sky, the moon full and shining bright to keep the shadows away. It felt like forever ago since the Moon spoke to him and gave him his name. Jack Frost. It was a bit of a strange name, but it was one that fit him well. Removing himself from his spot on the tree, Jack was about to call the wind to carry him when he heard the distinct sound of crying girls. Normally, Jack wouldn’t bother with it, as children cry to their parents for many reasons, but he noticed how the winds began to pick up and snow began to fall heavily in the middle of July.

_‘Odd…’_ Jack thought, deciding to head in the direction of the crying. What he saw shocked him. Dark creatures were surrounding five small season spirits. They looked like young girls, two no older than five to six, the taller blond girl looking around seven and the youngest at four.

Realizing that the little spirits were going to get hurt, Jack rushed in with an ice blast aimed at the shadow creatures. They were pretty weak and easily dealt with in a matter of a few minutes due to the surprise attack. Panting slightly, Jack turned to look at the five girls, who were all staring at him in wonder. It felt strange to be stared at, especially after spending almost three hundred years alone and unseen.

“Are you girls okay now?” He asked, recieving nods from them all. “Is there anyone I can take you girls too? Your families?”

“No…” the oldest girl spoke up, stepping forward while gently pushing the younger girls behind her. “Those things… they made all the adults go away.”

“They would have made us disappear too, if you didn’t come.” Another girl said, smiling wide and bouncing up to stand next to the older girl. Her orange curls bouncing along with her movements. “My name is Merida! And this is Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel and Moana!” She pointed to each one of them, starting with the taller blond girl, then the little one behind her, followed by the sunny blonde little girl and ending on the girl with dark hair.

“Well… my name is Jack Frost.” He introduced, sitting on both knees to be on all of the girls’ eye level. “I don’t think it would be wise to leave you five alone…” he trailed off, looking around them and biting at his lower lip. What should he do? What could he do? These five girls were all alone, having just lost their families. It didn’t sit right with the winter spirit to leave them alone like this. “Why don’t… you girls come with me and I can look after you all? A-at least until we find a better living arrangement for you all.”

Elsa looked cautious, as did Rapunzel, both unsure if they could trust the eternal teen or not. Anna and Moana both smiled and moved over to the male, clinging to him and giggling at how cold he felt. Merida also moved to be closer to Jack, trusting him due to the fact that he saved them. After a bit, the other two moved towards Jack and joined in huddling close to him. Moving to make sure he was able to carry all of them, one in each arm, the youngest secured under his hoodie and the other two clinging onto his back, Jack summoned the wind and had it carry them all gently back to his lake.

It was there, hidden away from humans, where he made the girls a home in a little cave near the lake. He had fitted it with glowing crystals to give them light, a sleeping area and a place for them to eat. Jack tried his best to provide for each of the girls, setting up a chain of events he didn’t know where it would lead.


	2. Chapter 1 - Blizzard of ‘68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this explains my idea of what happened during Easter in 1968.
> 
> Here is also a bit of on the girls in terms of what they are:  
Elsa is the eldest of the girls, a Winter Spirit  
Rapunzel is the second eldest, is a Spring Spirit  
Anna is the middle child, a Summer Spirit  
Merida is second to youngest, a Fall Spirit  
Moana is the youngest, is the second Summer (Ocean) Spirit

Jack awoke to the sound of giggles surrounding his bed of moss. Peaking an eye open, he looked to see his five little wards smiling at him and giggling some more, prompting the eternal teen to wonder what it was they did this time. It had been five years since he had taken the seasonal spirits into his care. After the first night, he had gone off to find Mother Nature and ask her about any remaining family members that he could deliver the girls too. Sadly, there were no one to take the girls in, and the Guardian of the Earth, insisting on being called Emily Jane, decided that Jack would be the one to take care of them.

It was a lot of hard work, and a lot of the time, Jack was worried that he was screwing up. How could he take care of five children when he himself was eternally stuck at the near end of being a teenager? But he wasn’t completely alone. Emily Jane always gave him advice and even the Sandman came by to help when he could. It was thanks to the two ancient beings that Jack had learned many things such as how to cook, make and mend clothing, as well as keep the kids healthy and happy.

It had taken a while for them to get used to Jack to being their guardian, but they grew to love the frost spirit as if he were their parent. They all ended up calling him ‘Papa’, and he adored them all and treated them as his own. He fostered their sense of individuality and allowed them to explore, though with some rules to keep them safe.

Coming back from his reverie, Jack sat up and looked at the five smiling faces of his daughters and finally registered the tight feeling on his head. Reaching a hand up, he felt his hair and felt the three little pigtails he was now sporting and the giggles of the five girls increased. Smiling at them, the winter spirit pushed himself into a sitting position.

“Well? Is it me?” He asked, chuckling a bit as the girls all openly laughed and crawled into his sleeping spot to hug him tightly. He had to be out in the early morning to provide the last bit of frost before spring really went underway. He hated to leave his girls alone, but it was something he had to do. “I will be back in a couple hours, girls.” He said, looking at all of their faces and pulling them into a hug. “Besides, once I get back, we can celebrate Easter. I think the old cottontail would be hiding the eggs soon.”

“You promise?” Anna asked, looking wide eyed and hopeful, along with Rapunzel. Both of them loved the colors that was associated with the springtime and the eggs the old rabbit left out for the children to find.

“I promise.” Jack replied, kissing each of their heads before standing and going to prepare a simple breakfast for the girls in the little kitchen-like area of their cave home. Their home was specially made by Mother Nature to be like a house that changes with the times, yet still is nature friendly. He made simple oatmeal with berries and sugar before setting the table where the girls were sitting patiently. When the meal was served, he walked around and gave each of the girls a kiss on their heads. “I will see you five in a few hours. Elsa is in charge until I get back.”

He got a round of farewells from his charges before leaving their little hidden home and began to fly around, spreading a light dusting of frost around the world. As he did, he caught sight of the infamous Easter Rabbit a distance away, hiding the eggs for the annual hunts that will be taking place later in the morning. Catching the older creature’s eye, Jack gave a polite nod in greeting before flying off.

\--

Once Jack had left, the girls waited a few more minutes to make sure he was really gone before leaving the table to clean up their breakfast and get ready to have some fun. Even with Jack’s training them in their powers, the girls found that it was a lot more fun to practice if they were playing. It was something Jack had learned and allowed them to do, but the girls always found more creative ways to use their powers when not being supervised.

“Is everyone ready?” Elsa asked after all of the girls were dressed in their daytime clothes. Each one was color coded to the girls’ favorite colors that Jack had pain-stakingly made for each of them. She got nods from all of her sisters before they ran out of their home to play on the eternally frozen lake.

The girls stayed close to their hidden home, but were able to use their powers freely to play, Merida using the winds to help the girls ice skate, Rapunzel growing flowered vines from the trees to make swings, Elsa and Moana working together to make ice slides that lead to the lake and Anna making large sunflower trampolines. The lake was filled with lots of laughter and happiness as the girls played.

About thirty minutes before Jack was supposed to come back, Anna jumped from one of her sunflower trampolines onto one of the wild ice slides that Elsa and Moana made. Three of the other girls cheered her on, while Elsa tried to make sure that her younger sister would come out safe. Sadly, the slide had begun to melt with the young summer elemental’s excitement and she was sent flying off the ice slide when it broke in the middle of a wave.

“No!” Elsa yelled, sending out a blast of frost magic to try and save Anna, only to hit her in the head and knocked her out during the plummet. Rapunzel and Moana screamed in fright at their sister’s fall, but it was Merida that summoned up the wind to help float the younger girl down in a gentle manner. Elsa, scared and upset, ran over to Anna and held her up to check on her. The shallow breathing and shivers coming from the young girl caused the eldest of the seasonal spirits to lose control of her emotions.

\--

Jack was on his way back to the lake when he noticed the gathering clouds and the icy winds beginning to pick up. Looking around, the winter spirit saw the clouds forming around one area of Burgess and he felt his heart nearly sputter to a stop.

“Girls…” He whispered, before flying at top speed to reach the lake. The snow began to fall heavily, and the winds whipped around the closer he got to the lake. It was getting harder to maneuver in the air as Jack was whipped around as he flew, coming to a crash landing by the lake. Squinting his eyes, he saw two of his girls on the frozen water where the blizzard was at it’s strongest.

Taking a deep breath, Jack ran into the storm and set free his own powers, overriding Elsa’s and causing the blizzard to lessen into a simple snow drift. Once that was done, Jack knelt beside Elsa and gently put a hand on her shoulder. The look she gave him when she saw him broke his heart. Gently taking Anna from her and looking the child over, he couldn’t tell if she was in any danger, but the sudden streak of white within the young spirit’s hair did cause the older winter spirit some small bit of panic.

“OI! What the John Dory is this all about?!” A distinctive Australian accent cut through the air and causing Jack to stiffen and look towards the foggy shore. Bunny was around his lake. Giving a silent curse, Jack had Elsa stand and returned Anna to her arms.

“Take Anna back to the cave and find the snow crystal.” He softly whispered, slightly thankful that the winds were still blowing along with the snow to muffle their voices from the large rabbit. “Contact Emily Jane. I will be inside shortly.” Ushering his eldest daughter back into their hidden cave-home, Jack sighed and put on the face of a bored teenager and turned to go deal with his guest.

E. Aster Bunnymund was a little more than pissed. He was just about to finish hiding his little googies when the sudden blizzard hit like a brick wall. It was unexpected and it destroyed all of his hard work! He knew of a local winter spirit that made his home in Burgess, but normally the little bugger wouldn’t mess his egg hunts too badly, usually adding only a small dusting of frost before the kids came out to look for the colorful eggs. This though, this was uncalled for and it pissed the Pooka off. With the snow and wind coming to a sudden stop, Bunny saw the snow and fog around the lake part to reveal the person he was searching for.

“And what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Jack asked, looking bored as he walked up to Bunny, the fog covering the lake once more to keep his daughters hidden from the large rabbit. “Shouldn’t you be hiding eggs right about now?”

“I was ‘till ya decided to start a bloody blizzard!” Bunny yelled, stalking up to Jack. He was beyond pissed, and the cocky attitude the spirit had was just pushing his buttons even more. “Are ya tryin’ to ruin Easter?!”

“No.” Jack answered, twirling his staff around and slamming it on the ground. “I just happened to have gotten upset and my emotions caused the blizzard. It happens when one is an elemental spirit.” It was a good thing he could be convincing when telling a tale, it kept the rabbits anger on him and away from his daughters. Unlike Elsa at this time, he could take a scolding.

“Bein’ upset doesn’t give ya the right to ruin my Holiday!” Bunny yelled, getting into Jack’s face. “Because of you, many kids here won’t have an Easter!”

“It was a mistake!” Jack yelled back, also getting into Bunny’s face. He was slowly losing his own temper, wanting to get this over with and go check on his kids.

Huffing, Jack sent a blast of cold air at the rabbit before disappearing back into the snow and fog. Curses and yells followed after him, but the winter spirit didn’t care, flying into the hidden cave system and finding his daughters surrounding Mother Nature as she looked over Anna. Elsa sat furthest away from the group, holding her knees up to her chest. Jack first went over to Emily Jane to get an update on Anna’s condition. The little summer spirit was sleeping peacefully now, no longer quivering from the cold.

“It was a good thing the power wasn’t stronger.” Emily Jane said, looking at Jack with a content face to show she wasn’t angry at what happened. “She will make a full recovery in a matter of hours.” Standing with the small girl in her arms, the ancient guardian moved to set the small girl on a bed of soft pillows and blankets.

“Thank you, Emily Jane.” Jack sighed, kneeling down to pet the orangy-brown hair of his younger daughter. “Will this affect her in any way?”

“No, it won’t. Aside from the headache that will form.” Emily Jane answered, smiling a bit. She knew that Jack was a good parent and cares for each of his girls, so she didn’t blame him for the event. It was an accident that happened when he was off working, and it was obvious that the smaller winter spirit felt tremendous guilt. “I shall be taking my leave now. Have a good day, Jack, girls.” In a flurry of petals, she was gone.

Sighing in relief, Jack ushered Merida, Rapunzel and Moana off to go play before walking over to his eldest daughter. Elsa was silently crying, burying her face into her knees. Sitting beside the younger winter spirit, Jack pulled her into his arms and just held her close, allowing her to cry onto him while he comforted her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I added the accident from the Frozen movie. It helps to add to Elsa's character and will explain her interactions with the other guardians later on in the story. I do plan on using this as a plot point for further in the story.


	3. Chapter 2 - A New Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forty-four years after the Blizzard of '68, the Guardians get a visit from an old enemy and MiM has chosen a new Guardian to help them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter heavily follows the movie. I will add my own twist into the next chapter, I promise.
> 
> This chapter, as well as most of this story, is beta'd by Nic and Crim, two of my greatest friends and writing buddies.

Forty-four years after the event, Jack and his girls remained low on the radar, never once allowing the other guardians to know much about them. He continued to butt heads with Bunny every Easter, though afterwards was able to sneak a few eggs from the egg hunts and scattered them around his own lake for his girls to hunt, always saying it was the Easter Bunny who hid them. The girls grew up wild and free, though Elsa preferred to stay close to Jack and rarely used her powers.

Since the accident, she had become reserved, speaking softly and fearing her powers. Jack had tried to encourage her to see past the accident, and show her that Anna and her other sisters were safe and happy. It didn’t work like how he wanted it to, but he was still able to get a smile on her face for a bit. The girls always included her in their playing, showing that they weren’t scared of her powers. They were all back to being a happy little family, unaware of the slowly growing danger.

\--

Within the North Pole, in the secret workshop Santoff Claussen, Nicholas St. North was busy cutting large blocks of ice into models for new toys. The current model he was working on was a new train and railroad set. He was having fun, watching by the little ice train glide across the railroad tracks before flying off to glide around the room. Just as it was about to make a turn to head back to North, the door was slammed open, causing the train to get hit and shatter onto the floor.

A tiny cry came from North, as did a yell of surprise from the yeti that opened the door. They both looked at each other before the yeti began speaking and motioning towards the globe room. Curious as to what the yeti was going on about, North headed to the globe room.

“Go. You are under boot.” North states, looking down at the little elves who were gathered around the globe along with the yetis. Looking up, he saw the lights of the believers flickering. North was confused and had the yetis check the axis and the world’s rotation before he saw something.

Black sand circled around the globe and a hideous laughter echoed around the workshop. The yetis, elves and North could only stare in shock as a silhouette moved across the globe in a form that the old man hadn’t seen in a long time. Just as fast as it came, the silhouette and sand disappeared.

Not wasting any time, North sent out the Aurora Borealis to call the other guardians to him. His belly was telling him something bad was going to happen and the guardians were needed. It didn’t take too long for the other three guardians to arrive. Toothiana was flanked by a few of her fairies, rambling off coordinates of teeth under pillows. Sandman yawned but happily accepted a mug of eggnog that was offered, and Bunny had gone straight for the fireplace to warm up his feet.

“Alright, mate, why did you call us here?” Bunny asked, looking at North from his spot at the fireplace.

“I saw Pitch. He was here, at the Pole.” North stated, looking at his friends and fellow guardians. They were all on alert now, not having heard that name in centuries.

“Pitch Black?” Tooth asked, looking at Sandy then back at her lover. “He was here?”

“Yes.” North answered, face grim. “There was black sand covering the globe.” Bunny came over at this, highly confused. “And then, a shadow-”

“Hold on, hold on.” Bunny interrupted, looking at the older human. “I though you said you saw Pitch.”

“Well, Uh…” North started, looking a bit sheepish. “Not exactly.” It was hard for him to explain what he saw to the other guardians, cause a part of him didn’t want to believe it himself.

“Not exactly? Can you believe this guy?” Bunny asked, looking at Sandy. All he got in response was the little man making a question out of sand appear over his head. “Yeah. You said it, Sandy.”

“Look, I know he is up to something bad.” North said, looking at his fellow guardians. He knew it to be true. “I feel it. In my belly.”

That started up an argument between North and Bunny, as it was three days before the rabbit’s holiday. While those two argued, Tooth was rattling off coordinates to her fairies once again. It was Sandy that noticed the moon beginning to shine into the room. He tried to get everyone’s attention, but being mute had its downsides, as no one would pay attention when he tried to alert them all of the moon. Getting fed up, the Guardian of Dreams grabbed onto an elf and used the bell on it’s cap to get everyone’s attention, making an image of the moon and pointing upwards.

“Ah! Man in Moon!” North greeted, smiling up at his old friend before turning to look at the golden man. “Sandy, why didn’t you say something?” Sandy just glared a bit as sand came from his ears to simulate steam. “It’s been a long time, old friend! What is big news?”

The moon began to shine brightly, aiming its moonbeams down onto the symbol of the guardians. Within the light, showed the shadow in the form of Pitch Black, the Boogeyman and enemy of the guardians. The other three were shocked, while North knew he was right before turning to look up at the moon.

“Manny, what must we do?” He asked, and MiM answered, bringing forth the crystal used to name a new guardian. Bunny wasn’t happy to hear they will be getting a new member of their ranks, while both Sandy and Tooth seemed curious. As the choice was being made, Bunny was secretly wishing his long-time enemy, the Groundhog, would not be picked. When the image of a youth in a hood and carrying a staff, everyone was surprised. The figure was of Jack Frost.

“I take it back, the Groundhog is fine.” Bunny said, really not wanting Jack Frost as a guardian.

“S-so long as he… protects the children.” Tooth said, coming out of her smitten demeanor and trying to regain her composure. North wasn’t worried, as they were pretty open with one another and agreed that they could have an open relationship. It is how they stayed with one another for the past few centuries.

“Jack Frost?!” Bunny yelled, looking shocked at Tooth’s acceptance of the mischief maker, even seeing that North and Sandy were also on board with the decision. “He doesn’t care about children! All he does is freeze water pipes and steal from my egg hunts!”

“Manny has chosen him, and we shall accept him as a Guardian.” North said, nodding at the choice. Whenever he saw the young spirit, the Father of Christmas could see something more to the boy that not many others could see. All he needed was just a bit of guidance.


	4. Chapter 3 - Welcome to the Guardians

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is out with his girls when he is taken to Santoff Claussen to become a Guardian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was beta'd by my friends Nic and Crim, as well as my amazing sister.
> 
> This chapter also includes a cameo of Crim's OC, Calmiro.

Jack was flying around the world, providing frost to the world as he went, while also playing a few pranks on some unsuspecting people. He loved his job, even if it meant leaving his girls alone for a couple hours. Luckily, he had made friends with another Autumn spirit, one that represents the Mexican Holiday, Day of the Dead. The spirit was always willing to look after Jack’s girls for him when he was to spend a bit longer away from Burgess to spread Winter, and the Winter spirit couldn’t be any more thankful to his friend.

Once he was done spreading frost, Jack looked around at the city he was in with a smile. When he could, he would love to have his girls travel with him and show them the world. First though, he had to help them master riding the wind.

“Alright Wind! Take me home!” He called, and his longtime companion heeded his request, carrying the eternal teen all the way back to Burgess. He whooped and hollered as he flew through the air, seeing his girls playing by the lake once again, along with the older Autumn spirit. Ice blue eyes caught sight of his eldest daughter sitting on the shore, and Jack landed beside her, taking a seat. “Not joining in, Elsa?”

“No.” Elsa answered, watching her four younger sisters playing on the ice with their caretaker whenever Jack was away. She looked like she wanted to join in, but Jack knew she feared accidentally hurting them with her element.

“You sure you don’t want too? Maybe we can orchestrate a sneak attack on Calmiro while he and the others are distracted?” Jack suggested, smiling a bit and gently nudging else to try and get her to smile as well. It worked for a bit before she shook her head and went back to watching her sisters play. It hurt Jack to see his eldest daughter like this, but he was at a loss of what to do to help her. Wrapping an arm around her, the older winter spirit laid his head on top of hers, giving her comfort, which she melted into.

Rapunzel was the one to look over and squealed in happiness, alerting the others to where she was looking. All four of the girls cheered before leaving Calmiro to rush to the shoreline, tackling Jack and Elsa both in their excitement. Jack smiled wide and laughed as he held his daughters close to him, kissing the top of their heads.

“Welcome home, papa!” Rapunzel cheered, giggling when Jack poked her side.

“When did you get back?” Merida asked, looking up at her papa and hoping he would tell them stories of where he went.

“A few minutes ago, actually.” Jack answered, hugging his girls tight and standing up. His body felt a bit sore from the tackle, but he was able to bounce back. “Oof, you girls are getting to be so tall. I don’t think I can handle the tackling anymore.”

“Nonsense, mi amigo!” Calmiro stated, walking up to the little family with a smile on his sugar skull painted face. “You are as young and spry as the day I met you.” The girls just smile and stood with Jack, laughing a bit. “Well, since you have returned, I shall be taking my leave. Have to get some rest before helping Jack-o-Lantern in preparation for his Holiday in October Adios, Jack, ninas.”

Jack and the girls waved off Calmiro before looking at one another, all smiles. This was a special day for Winter spirits, but the family always had a hand in making a memorable Snow Day in Burgess. Even Elsa couldn’t deny she secretly looked forward to this day every year. The small family set about bringing the Snow Day to the local kids, though Jack did end up taking things a bit far with one group of kids by initiating a snowball fight. It ended up escalating with Jack leading one of the kids, Jamie Bennet, on an exciting sled ride that ended with him losing a tooth.

Even after he was walked through once again, Jack tried to brush it off and spend the rest of the day with his girls. Moana, Merida, Anna and Rapunzel each wanted an exciting sled ride like the one Jamie received, which Jack was all too happy to help with. Elsa ended up making frost in decorative patterns before she got dragged on one sledding event by her sisters. The day was filled with laughter and happiness and there was a successful Snow Day.

As night fell, the little family was sitting up on the roof of Jamie Bennet’s house, looking up at the moon and snacking on treats. Jack tried to keep his children from seeing his demeanor change, but they saw through his mask and curled up close to him. He felt bad, questioning why the Moon brought him here when he had five beautiful girls to raise and care for.

_‘But I still have to ask… for what reason was I brought here?’_ Jack thought, standing and leading his girls along the rooftops in a lesson on how to fly. Merida took to it rather well, while the others seemed to struggle holding it for long periods of time. He smiled at their progress and cheered them on when it came to the longer distances, making sure to build an ice bridge to catch them should they lose flight halfway through. _‘Well, it doesn’t matter now. They do and that is all I will ever need.’_

Just as Jack was going to conclude the girls’ lesson for the night, he felt something rush past him and instantly, the Winter spirit was on alert. He motioned for his girls to head back home while he went off to investigate. Following the noises, Jack was lead to an alleyway and came face to face with someone he hadn’t seen in a while.

“Been a while.” Bunny said, twirling his boomerang and looking at the spirit. “Blizzard of ‘68. Easter Sunday.”

“Oh Bunny. You’re not still mad about that, are you?” Jack asked, leaning against his staff. Bunny was still angry about that, even though a little over four decades have passed since the incident, but the large rabbit was still grumpy about that.

“Yeah.” Bunny said, glaring at the eternal teen. His ears twitched at sounds coming behind him, but he didn’t pay it much attention, thinking that it was just a couple of adults out and about. “But I’m not here for that. Boys.”

When he gave the signal, two yetis grabbed Jack and stuffed him into a sack. With a snowglobe, they opened a portal and tossed the sack through. When asked if he wanted to go through the portal, Bunny declined, made one of his holes and jumped down, leaving behind a pink flower. When the yetis were about to jump into the portal, five blurs ran past them and into the portal, shrieks meeting their ears.

\--

Jack groaned as he sat up and the sack fell off his head and pooled around his waist. His eyes met that of the guardians and a couple elves. He tuned out North until two yetis pulled him out and set him on the ground, dusting him off.

“I hope yetis treated you well.” North greeted, smiling down at the youth.

“Oh yeah. I love being tossed into a sack and tossed through a magic portal.” He remarked snidely, kicking his staff up into his hand. “Not like I wasn’t busy with something else…”

“Oh! Good. That was my idea.” North looked so proud when he said that, and then went on to introduce the other Guardians. Tooth came up close to Jack’s personal space and tried to get a look at his teeth when something flew past her wings and sent the Guardians on alert.

North looked around, trying to see past the yetis when he was struck in the forehead by something. He and the others were taken back and looked before Jack ended up laughing at North and pointing at what was stuck to him. It was a little toy arrow with a sucker at the end that helped it stick to the old man’s forehead. He stopped laughing when the one who fired the little toy arrow turned out to be Merida, followed by her sisters. Each of them were armed in some way, though they were obviously scared.. Rapunzel held onto a frying pan, Moana and Anna were holding bats and Elsa’s hands were covered in frost magic.

“Girls?” Jack asked, relaxing from his stance and pulling them to him. His familiarity with the young spirits caused three of the big four to be surprised. “I thought I told you five to go home.”

“We were worried, papa.” Rapunzel said, peeking up at him through her long sunny blonde hair and looking scared. “W-we saw you get taken and… and we…” Both her and Elsa looked absolutely scared, being the two eldest and remembering how it was they came into Jack’s care. Nodding in understanding, Jack held his daughters to him, showing them that he was unhurt.

One by one, the girls relaxed and clamored close to the older Winter spirit, though the only one still in high alert was Merida and her toy bow and arrow. Looking up at the Guardians, Jack gave a sheepish smile and shrugged. They were bound to find out sooner or later. Sandy smiled and floated over to the small family, greeting the girls warmly. Seeing a familiar face, the girls relaxed further and gave the little golden man a hug as well. This just confused the other Guardians even more, since Sandy never mentioned that he was on friendly terms with the trickster to the point of knowing the girls.

North was about to ask something before Tooth squealed in delight and flew around them. The fairy got really close to the girls, trying to open their mouths one by one to see their teeth. Moana ended up biting down on the female guardian’s fingers when they got close to her, causing her to yelp and pull her hand back.

“‘Ey!” Bunny yelled, making the girls gasp and look at him. His eyes zeroed in on Moana, who clung tightly onto Jack. “Ya shouldn’ be bitin’ people. It ain’t nice, shiela.”

“While I agree, Tooth shouldn’t be sticking her fingers into other people's mouths.” Jack retorted, glaring at Bunny and moving to have his kids behind him. “It will get her bit. Now I want answers. Why was I brought here? Last I checked, neither me nor my girls have done anything to your jobs or holidays.”

“Is papa on the naughty list?” Anna asked, earning a few snickers from her sisters and even e loud laugh from North.

“He holds record on Naughty list.” North answered, smiling at seeing the children all laugh and Jack pretending to be hurt by the words. He never saw this side of the normally troublemaking spirit, and he wondered if this was why Jack was chosen by MiM. “But no matter, we overlook. Now, we are wiping clean the slate.”

“How come?” Jack asked, leaning against his staff. The other seasonal spirits were also confused, though a couple frowned at Bunny’s sarcastic question, while looking at North.

“‘How come?’ I _tell_ you, how come.” North said, voice and gestures taking on a dramatic turn, as if he were giving a huge announcement to a crowd. “Because now, you are guardian!”

At the end of his statement, the yetis and elves began to play a ceremonial tune complete with trumpets, drums and even a bit of a fire baton display. Jack was starting to feel uncomfortable as he was surrounded by elves and yetis, the big four looking at him. He actually took a bit of comfort at Bunny’s lack of enthusiasm at this parade, as if he couldn’t believe that the young spirit was being brought up into their ranks. It was better than the smiles he got from Sandy, North and Tooth. When it started to become too much, Jack sent out an icy wave at the elves, yetis and guardians that were in front of him. The act shocked everyone, even his own children were surprised at his display and interruption of the ceremony.

Jack was not happy about this, given no heads up about the news and being ripped from his kids suddenly in the middle of the night. Two of them were already traumatized, and he didn’t want to explain to Emily Jane why his kids were left alone when he was dragged to the North Pole. He could already hear her voice accusing him of leaving the girls all alone and out in the open. North and Tooth tried to explain to him the importance of being chosen, but he wasn’t listening to them. Not until they mentioned the Man on the Moon.

“After three hundred years, this is his answer?” Jack asked, running his fingers through his snowy white hair. “To spend eternity like you guys? Hidden away and finding new ways to bribe kids. Oh no no no, that is not for me!” When it hit what he said, Jack looked at the quartet with a bit of regret. “No offense.”

“How is that not offensive?” Bunny asked indignantly, walking up closer to Jack. He had to crane his neck down a bit to look at the eternal teenager, as he stood a few heads taller than the boy. “Well, y’know, I think we just dodged a bullet with you refusing. What exactly do you know about bringing joy to children, anyway?”

“I am raising five children, have been for the past forty-nine years, going on fifty in a few months.” Jack stated, leaning his staff against the controls of the globe and moving to fix up Anna’s pigtails, which she had pulled free of its ties when he was taken. “Not to mention, there is the yearly Snow Day, in which myself, my beautiful girls and other winter spirits bring to the world. It may not seem like a big thing to you, Bunny, but the kids enjoy it.”

“But no human child actually believes in you, do they mate.” Bunny stated, causing Jack to become stiff as he was about to tie off the braid. He smirked smugly at seeing the dejected look cross over Jack’s face until he felt a kick to one of his legs. Looking down, he came face to face with the Spring spirit that was around Jack.

“Stop being mean to my papa!” She yelled, glaring (pouting) at Bunny. “You don’t know all that he has done to bring happiness to kids and raise us! He even-!”

“Rapunzel, enough.” Jack cut in, finishing up with Anna’s hair and ushering her closer to Elsa. Rapunzel looked at him but he gave her a soft smile and pulled her close to give her a soft hug. “The kangaroo has a point in me not being believed in.” It hurt, hearing Bunny say that he wasn’t believed in, but it wasn’t as bad as being walked through and feeling a part of yourself disappear. Thankfully, he had some experience in hiding away that sort of pain.

The other three guardians were at a loss when another argument started between Jack and Bunny, neither of them wanting to back down. North did notice Sandy motion for the girls to head into a different room for the time being, to get away from the fighting. It still surprised him that the little golden man hadn’t told the others about Jack being a parent. If he had, then the Russian would have found a different way of bringing the eternal teen to Santoff Claussen that wouldn’t cause alarm to the young girls. Quietly, he ordered one of the yetis to tend to the girls by bringing them food and drinks to help them feel welcomed in his home. As Sandy and the girls walked past him, he saw the eldest one look back at the arguing pair with a look of pure guilt before turning away and following her sisters and the sandman. He had to speak with Jack, away from others and figure out exactly why MiM had chosen him, and what his center was.


	5. Chapter 4 - What is a Center

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North and Jack talk, and the girls give Elsa comfort and encouragement.

Even though the girls were located to another room and the yetis getting them whatever they asked, they were still a bit wary. Elsa kept near the door, hearing the muffled yelling and her mood fell even further. The others tried to help get her away from the door, offering to play boardgames that they were provided with, in the hopes of getting their elder sister out of her funk. It didn’t have much effect.

“Come on, El.” Merida said, rolling her eyes and walking over to the winter spirit. “Listening to them won’t help you. You are only going to make yourself sad if you stay there.”

“She’s right, Elsa.” Rapunzel said, walking over to her sister and hugging her. “We all know that you feel guilty, but there is nothing we can do for now.” The others had moved closer to the two of them.

“Maybe you can ask him to speak with you after they calm down.” Moana suggested, catching the other girls’ attention. “Since this has been eating you up for the past forty-four years, this could be your chance to finally release yourself from the guilt.”

“We know papa wanted to protect you from the Easter Bunny’s wrath when the accident happened, and it has been bothering you for a long time.” Rapunzel continued for Moana, sitting with Elsa and the other girls followed. “If you want, we can be there for you when you tell him.”

The other girls agreed, giving words of encouragement to the oldest of them. Elsa couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world, having sisters who care for her and a father who tries to protect her and love her with all his heart. Nodding and smiling shyly at their encouragement, the winter spirit felt a bit more at ease enough to move away from the door and spend time with her sisters until the guardians were done with Jack.

\--

Bunny and Jack were still arguing whenSandy came back after taking the girls to a different room. Tooth had tried to get between the two volatile males, but North stopped her and decided that enough was enough. Walking over to the two, North grabbed Bunny by the scruff of his neck and Jack by his hood, effectively stopping the argument.

“Gentlemen, enough. Bunny, why not go cool off. Talk to girls and get to know them.” North suggested, dropping the Pooka and ignoring Jack, who was against Bunny being anywhere near his girls. “Maybe have Sandy introduce you and Tooth to them properly. I need to speak with Jack privately.”

Leaving his fellow guardian’s, North carried Jack to the lift and headed to the workshop, setting the spirit down and keeping him from flying off. The eternal teen just glared at Father Christmas before sighing and leaning against his staff. North saw the tension within the young spirit, and he began to wonder if Jack was running himself thin, bringing both winter and raising young spirits into being functioning adult spirits. It was obvious that he was protective of them.

“You can relax, Jack.” North said, catching the spirit’s surprise and smiling at him. “Your girls are safe. Tooth and Bunny won’t hurt them.”

“Tooth, I can believe. Bunny… I can’t trust.” Jack replied, relaxing his stance at last and watching as the lift took them down. “One of them, Elsa… she is very sensitive and has a hard time controlling her powers if she feels any sort of negative emotion. I have been working with her, but it is slow going.” It was best to inform North about this now, than be surprised if the room, yetis and the three guardians were found frozen in blocks of ice. “I just don’t want Bunny to push her too far and cause her to lose control.”

North understood, reaching out to pat the eternal teen on the back. When the lift took them to the designated level, the older human led Jack through his workshop, who was looking around and trying to see the toys that were being made. In doing so, the winter spirit began to fall behind, though North could only find amusement when it got out that Jack had been trying to break in for years. Once in the toymaker’s private workshop, he got straight to the point.

“What is your center, Jack Frost?” He asked, looking closely at the confused spirit and pointing at his heart. “What is it that MiM sees in you to make you guardian?”

“M-my center?” Jack asked, not understanding what North was getting at. When the Russian explained with the use of nesting dolls, and explaining what his own center was, the eternal teen bit at his bottom lip. What was his center? He thought hard about it, but the only thing that came to mind as his center was his family. But that wasn’t something he brought to the world. Not like the Wonder that North brings.

\--

While that was happening, the girls were all sitting at a table and playing a game of Uno. They were going on their third round when the door opened up and got their attention. Three of the big four entered and instantly Tooth was flying around them once more, gushing about them. Sandy went over to greet them, earning a hug from each of the girls, though Anna and Rapunzel made it their mission to try and squeeze the little golden man with all their might.

“Um… it is nice to meet you two.” Elsa greeted, setting her cards down to speak to the guardian’s properly. “M-my name is Elsa. I-I’m a Winter spirit.”

“I’m Anna, a Summer spirit.” Anna said, waving and lightly swatting at Merida, who was trying to peek at their sister’s cards. “Merida. Autumn spirit.” She said, going back to trying to sneak a peek. Bunny found it a bit amusing, seeing the little autumn spirit trying to cheat at a card game.

Rapunzel and Moana giggled at their sister’s tactic, laughing even more when Elsa caught her and started to mess with her cards in an attempt to get a look.. “I’m a Spring spirit. Rapunzel is my name.” Rapunzel introduced herself, pink blossoms sprouting from her head to make a flower crown. “And I am Moana, a Summer spirit like Anna.” Moana greeted, smiling wide at the guardians. “And we know who you both are. The Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.”

“Ooh~ you girls are just so precious!” Tooth squealed, causing Bunny’s ears to twitch and fold back to press against his skull. “I wasn’t aware that Jack Frost was a parent. You all have such shiny and healthy teeth.”

“How does that even happen? Is the drongo married or somethin’?” Bunny asked, moving to take a seat and seeing Elsa flinch a bit when he got close. He stopped and looked at the younger winter spirit, seeing her avoid eye contact with him.

“Nope. Papa is all on his own with us.” Merida chimed in, tossing her cards on the table and laying her chin on her arms. “Sandy and Mother Nature helps out when they can, but for the most part, it is just us six.”

“He isn’t as bad as you say he is.” Rapunzel said, looking at Bunny. Both being Spring spirits, it will be the Easter Bunny she will end up reporting too when she is christened as a seasonal spirit upon reaching her adulthood. “He saved us, protects us and makes sure we have a childhood. Even though we know now, he always tried to make sure that we believed in you guys… by doing the things you guys and Santa do.”

Tooth and Bunny looked at one another is surprise, unsure of how to take that. While Tooth had only heard of Jack Frost and his teeth, it was Bunny and Sandy that had the most run-ins with him. The Pooka had never known Jack to be anything more than a nuisance to his holiday ever since ‘68. But according to the young Spring spirit, there was more to Jack than what was shown. All three guardians ended up joining the girls in a different card game of Go Fish, after Anna got a different stack of playing cards.

Elsa tried to keep herself under control while sitting next to Bunny, taking deep breaths and twitching her fingers towards her sister Rapunzel whenever Bunny made a movement. It wasn’t lost on the Easter spirit that he made the young winter elemental jumpy, but he didn’t understand what he did to make her afraid. Just as he was about to ask her, Tooth shot up from her spot and flew out of the room and out of Santoff Claussen.

Both Bunny and Sandy watched the fairy queen leave and looked to one another before leaving the room to go get North. No doubt that, if something had upset Tooth to make her leave quickly, it had to be something at the Tooth Palace. The younger spirits were confused about the sudden leaving of the older guardians, and decided to continue their game later. They armed themselves once again and followed after Sandy and Bunny.

“North!” Bunny called, opening the door to the toymaker’s private workshop where he and Jack were still talking. “We got trouble at the Tooth Palace.” The look the old human gave him, made the Pooka think of the man’s former bandit days. Mentioning that there was trouble at his beloved’s home brought the warrior out of the old man that was hiding beneath the surface.


	6. Chapter 5 - Nightmares at Tooth Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guardians, Jack and the girls head off to save Tooth Palace. But their enemy is ready and waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by my two great friends and my wonderful little sister.
> 
> Sorry it took a bit longer to post than normal. Life is getting in the way more and more.

North barely waited for the others to follow him as he headed for his sleigh. Tooth Palace was in danger, no doubt an attack orchestrated by Pitch. As Jack tried to keep up with the other three, he was also trying to convince his daughters to stay at the workshop to keep safe. Sadly, other than Elsa, all of his daughters had a stubborn streak that they picked up from him. Jack swore that if his hair wasn’t already white, it would be all grey from the years of raising five elementals.

“Okay. Fine. But I want you girls to stay hidden until everything is safe.” Jack relented, taking on a stern tone. He didn’t want his girls coming along with him and the guardians but there was no dissuading them. It was a tone that Bunny hadn’t heard such a tone from the playful spirit. “Besides, I am not sure how safe an old, rickety sleigh is…”

As he was saying that, Jack and the girls got to see what exactly North’s sleigh looked like. It was sleek, with a mix of old and new and the reindeer looked fierce and battle ready. All six of them were in awe of the sight. The spell was broken when Rapunzel squealed a bit and moved to get closer to the reindeer, only to have both Jack and Bunny hold her back. When the animals calmed down and the sleigh was ready to be boarded, North looked proudly at Jack and the girls, who were willing to climb in for the ride.

“Everyone love the sleigh.” North said, jumping into the driver’s spot after Jack and Sandy got the girls situated. “Bunny, what are you waiting for?”

“I think my tunnels might be a bit fasta, mate…” Bunny said, tapping the sleigh with his foot before going to move away from it. “And um… and safer…”

“Bah! Get in.” North replied, grabbing onto Bunny and hauling him into the sleigh and seated right next to Rapunzel, who was bouncing up and down in her spot, and in front of Elsa, who seemed to be scared of the sleigh as well. The sight of four excited spirit children brought a smile to Father Christmas’ face. “Buckle up, everyone.”

When bunny was set down, he began to frantically search, not finding the aforementioned seatbelts. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where are the bloody seatbelts?” He asked, ears folding back against his skull.

Four of the five girls didn’t seem to care, though Elsa was sharing the exact same sentiments as Bunny. She and Jack looked at one another and tried to find a way to anchor down the others when North just laughed. “That was just expression.” He said, then snapped the reins to signal the reindeer to take off.

The group rode through the ice tunnels, gaining speed as they went. Rapunzel, Anna, Merida and Moana were all cheering in excitement while Bunny and Elsa were screaming in absolute terror. Sandy was having a blast, throwing his hands in the air and silently cheering in excitement, and the four excited girls followed suit. When the loop-di-loop came, Jack was surprised to see everyone still plastered to their seats, and he began to admit that this was actually very fun, even seeing Bunny’s terrified face was well worth this. When the end came, the group had enough momentum to fly out smoothly and safely, away from Santoff Claussen. Jack was amazed by the view from the rear of the sleigh.

“Hey, Bunny!” Jack called, gaining both the Easter spirit’s and Elsa’s attention. “Check out this view- augh!” He yelled, falling off from the sleigh.

“PAPA!” Elsa yelled, momentarily forgetting that Jack could fly.

“North!” Bunny called, trying to get the older man's attention. When that didn’t work, he and Elsa tentatively peeked over the side of the sleigh to see if they could spot Jack’s body down below, only to see him laying on one of the main runners of the sleigh.

“Aw… you do care.” Jack cooed, smirking up at Bunny.

“Rack off, ya bloody show pony!” Bunny stated, glaring down at Jack. He was surprised when he saw a snowball fly past Jack’s head, looking to see Elsa forming another ball of snow in her hand and throwing it.

“You jerk!” She yelled, missing Jack again, who ducked out of the way. “That wasn’t funny! I was scared!” The smaller winter spirit kept forming and throwing snowballs at Jack in an attempt to teach him a lesson. Bunny was a little surprised at that, as he was certain any child Jack raised would be used to his pranks. But it seemed this one wasn’t one for jokes, or socializing from what he remembered from earlier.

Standing and floating up to Elsa a bit, Jack held onto the sleigh so as to not be left behind. “Hey, hey. It’s alright, Elsa. I’m fine.” He said, wrapping his other arm around her and pressing their foreheads together. “Papa is not going anywhere. I promise you, my little snow princess.” He continued to whisper comforting words to her until she calmed down.

When that was done, and Elsa was moved to be with her sisters, Jack moved to climb onto the wing of the sleigh. North pulled out a snowglobe, whispering the destination of Tooth Palace into it and throwing it far in front of the reindeer. Bunny was muttering about taking the tunnels as they went through the portal. The sight that met them confused and worried them.

Black wisps flew by them, nearly crashing into the sleigh. Jack made a small ice barrier in front of his children to keep them from getting hit by the stray wisps and looked around to see what was being chased. The creatures, looking horse-like in appearance, were taking Tooth’s mini faeries and the teeth of children that were gathered over the thousands of years Tooth had been a Guardian. Jack was able to save one Baby Tooth, but not the others as the group flew closer and closer to Tooth Palace. The entire place was deserted, save for a distraught Tooth, who could not find any of her fairies or teeth.

Landing the sleigh, North, Bunny, Sandy and Baby Tooth went to check on the fairy and comfort her. Just when things seemed to have calmed down, a voice rang out that the big four had not heard in a long time. At the voice, Jack urged his girls to stay hidden and to not make a sound.

“The big four, all coming together.” The voice echoed, making the guardians look around before finding the source. A tall, dark, lean figure looked down at the four guardians, a smirk adorning his ashen face. “Did you enjoy my show on the globe North? Got you all together.”

“Pitch!” Tooth screamed, flying up at the figure in a rage. “You have three seconds to return my fairies!”

Pitch, for his part, looked unamused as he easily moved through the darkness and away from Toothiana’s clutches. “Or what? You will stick a quarter under my pillow? Not very threatening, Toothiana. All your years of peace has made you soft.”

“Why are you doing this?” North interrogated, looking up at Pitch’s location in hatred. What this man did to his beloved’s home, it made rage bubble under his skin.

“Maybe… I want what you have.” Pitch said, looking down once more at the guardians. “To be believed in.” Hearing that resonated with Jack. He understood the need to be seen, even if only by a few. It hurt a lot. “Maybe I am tired of hiding under beds!”

“Maybe, that is where you belong.” Bunny retorted, jumping when Pitch moved to the underside of the building.

“Go suck on an egg, rabbit.” Pitch sighed, moving around until he caught sight of Jack standing next to the sleigh. “Is that… _Jack Frost_? Well this is a surprise. When did you become chummy with the guardians?” The shade moved closer to the Winter spirit, seeing him move closer to the sleigh on instinct. “Oh? Are you hiding something in the sleigh?”

Jack growled, holding his staff up into an attack position towards Pitch. He mentally cursed himself about not leaving his girls at Santoff Claussen, now they could be in danger of this man and he wasn’t entirely sure if he could fight him off. Luckily, Bunny was able to distract Pitch by throwing a boomerang at the boogeyman and getting him away from the sleigh. Tooth followed it up by flying at the man with her own sword, trying to take him out. Pitch dodged and moved through the shadows back to his original perch. Tooth again went after him, intent on skewering the shade when a Nightmare appeared in front of her, causing the queen to move back to the others.

“Sh… don’t be so nervous. They feed off fear.” Pitch cooed, petting the creature before moving his hand to show what it was made of. “Look familiar, Sanderson? Took me a little while to master this trick. Now your dream sand under my command.”

Smirking when he saw Tooth Palace beginning to turn to dust, Pitch knew that he would have one less guardian to deal with. Seeing Jack’s confusion, the shade informed him of the flaw in becoming a guardian: the power is tied to a child’s belief. With the lack of mini fairies collecting the teeth and not leaving any money behind, the children of the world were beginning to lose faith in Tooth. Pitch made his escape then, with a promise to come back and finish off the other guardians, and Jack if he got in his way.

With Pitch gone, the guardians were left worried, with Tooth becoming a little weaker the more believers she lost. She flew down below her palace, to a little oasis. Jack and the others followed, worried for her.

“You should have seen them…” she whispered, holding Baby Tooth close and running her left thumb through the soft feathers. Jack stood next to her, watching her with a look of sympathy, as she looked like a mother who lost all of her children. “They were so brave and fought so hard.”

“Why would Pitch want to take the teeth?” Jack asked, confused as to the importance of the teeth.

“It wasn’t the teeth he was after.” Tooth answered, looking at Jack. Her large purple eyes looked into Jack’s own ice blue, shining with unshed tears. “We hold the important memories of childhood. And every child’s teeth were kept here, protected. If someone needs to remember something from their childhood, we help them.”

Jack was at a loss for words, finally understanding what it was Tooth protected of the children, and the weight of becoming a guardian. Looking up at the stone painting, Jack began to silently question if MiM was correct in choosing him as a potential guardian.


	7. Chapter 6 - Elsa's Conviction and Tooth's Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Guardians are worried about what to do now that Tooth's fairies and the teeth have been taken by Pitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by my friend Nic and Crim and my amazing sister.

As Jack and Tooth talked, the other three guardian’s discussed a few things amongst themselves and leaving the girl’s to their own devices. Since nearly being found in the sleigh, they were beginning to rethink their choice in being there. Merida tried to put on a brave face and keep up their moral, but it was hard when she was shaking where she stood. Moana and Anna were clinging to one another and trying hard not to cry, while Rapunzel and Elsa were trying to calm them down. This was a lot more than they could handle.

Thinking quickly, Rapunzel ran off to get one of the guardians, preferring Sandy over the two she didn’t really know. Gently tapping the little golden man’s shoulder, Rapunzel ended up getting all three men’s attention. Instantly, she hid her face in her long blonde hair until her right eye was the only part of her face that was seen. Sandy just gave the young Spring spirit a soft smile and tilted his head to the side, silently asking her what was wrong.

“U-um… Moana and Anna are on the verge of tears and Merida is starting to hyperventilate.” She said, reaching up to grab her hair and gently tug at it in a nervous habit. “I-is there any way you can help? Please?”

Nodding, Sandy headed to the other spirits along with North and Bunny. They saw Elsa starting to panic as both Anna and Moana began crying and Merida curled up on her side and hyperventilating. With three young season elementals letting go of their emotions, their powers began to act up. Merida was making a small dust devil swarm around her form and gaining speed, Moana’s cries made the water start to form small waves that were gaining in size while Anna’s cries caused heat to rise around them.

All three men moved to try and calm down the girls, not wanting to alarm Jack, who they noted to be quite protective of all of the girls, and Tooth, whose maternal instincts would kick in at full force. North and Bunny both tried everything they could think of to calm down Merida, Moana and Anna, only to have Sandy step in and use a little bit of dream sand to put the three girls to sleep. With that done, Sandy moved on to calm Elsa down and take her through her breathing exercises until the ice that had built up around them melted away.

“Luckily we had ya here, mate.” Bunny said, looking at Sandy while picking up Anna and and the little golden man gently cradling Moana. “I don’t know what would have happened if they were left like that.”

“Indeed.” North replied, picking Merida up and leading the group back to the sleigh. “How exactly does Jack do it?”

“Unlike you guys, papa makes time to play with the kids of the world.” Rapunzel replied, holding onto Elsa’s hand as she walked with the male guardians. “And he has been raising us for almost fifty years now, so he has had a lot to learn.”

“Oh yeah. Must be nice having a parent that ruins Easter.” Bunny groused, setting Anna down in the sleigh and watching as she curled up with her two sleeping sisters the moment they were placed next to her. Again, he got kicked in the leg, but this time by the little winter spirit. “Ah! Oi! Does he also teach ya ta kick people in the shins, shiela?”

“Papa doesn’t ruin Easter, you stupid rabbit!” Elsa yelled, forgetting her fear of the Pooka to defend her father. “All he does is add a little frost to the area to help the eggs stand out better! The kids find it magical! And you know what they always say? ‘The Easter Bunny is the best’. ‘The Easter Bunny made this day fun’! You didn’t do anything other than hide a bunch of eggs!” As Elsa began to lose her temper more and more, ice began to spread further along the ground and raise up in spikes. Both Sandy and Rapunzel tried to calm the winter spirit down, while both Bunny and North seemed stunned at the outburst from the quiet girl. “Papa doesn’t get any credit for all that he does during the colder seasons and you even hate him for something that wasn’t his fault!”

“Elsa?” A voice asked, cutting through the young spirit and bringing her back from her temper tantrum. Turning, she saw both Jack and Tooth had joined with the group, having been alerted by the yelling. Floating over to his eldest daughter, Jack pulled her into his arms and picked her up off the ground, holding her close. “It’s okay, my little snow princess. Calm down and breathe.” He instructed, moving to lean against the sleigh and gently rocked her as he did when she was little.

Sandy heaved a silent sigh of relief as he saw the ice completely melt away the longer Elsa remained in Jack’s comforting arms. Rapunzel also relaxed and moved to climb into the sleigh, wrapping her long hair around her like a blanket.

“I think it would be best that we head back for now, regather our thoughts and figure out an attack plan.” Jack suggested, looking at the guardians. “Right now, the speed of the children not believing in Tooth seems to have slowed down a little bit. But if I am correct, we cannot leave it like that for long.”

The big four agreed, North helping Tooth into the sleigh while the others climbed in and got situated. The ride back to Santoff Claussen was tense, since the reveal of Pitch, everyone was on edge. Once back at the workshop, Jack left the guardians to start planning while he set his girls in a guestroom to rest. Phil, North’s head of security and the one Yeti that Jack always had a run-in when he attempted to break in, took up following the winter spirit to make sure he was kept out of trouble. Jack saw this as an opportunity to put the yeti to actual work and had him carry Merida, who was a wild sleeper, to the room. One story later to the last two girls that were awake, Jack tucked them into the large bed and left to go prepare a late meal for them.

\--

“We have to do something.” North muttered, pacing in front of the globe of belief. The other guardians watched as the lights flickered, the kids’ belief shaken up due to the teeth not being gathered. Already, Tooth was beginning to feel her powers start to deplete the more children no longer believe in her. Bunny couldn’t take watching North pace around and decided to go grab himself a snack, promising to be back in a few minutes.

He knew his way around Santoff Clausen rather well, having been to the old palace many times before. So finding the kitchen was easy, but finding Jack Frost inside the kitchen was a bit of a surprise. Shaking his head, Bunny went about getting himself a snack when he spied his favorite snack in the pile of vegetables the winter spirit had.

“Mind parting with a few of those?” He asked, pointing at the carrots within the pile. Jack just looked at him in his chopping and nodded, handing four of the carrots to the Pooka. Accepting the vegetables, Bunny was about to leave but the eternal teen’s presence drew his attention once more. He wasn’t sure what it was about the spirit that was getting his attention, but he had no doubt it had something to do with what the younger spirits had said. “Hey, mind if I ask ya something, Frostbite?”

“You can.” Jack said, tossing some of the chopped vegetables into the pot and stirred them. “Though I doubt I will be able to answer.”

“Why are you takin’ care of those kids? Don’t they have their own families?” Bunny asked, watching how Jack’s hands stopped moving and he became still. _‘Did I cross a line?’_ He thought, about to take back his question.

“I… I was put in charge of them by Mother Nature.” Jack replied, setting down the knife he was using and turning the flame down low on the stove. “From what I saw, it was shadow creatures that took away all their parents. Mother Nature tried to find if they had any other family but there was no one. I couldn’t stand the thought of them being alone like I was…”

Bunny just listened, shocked at hearing the explanation Jack gave. It would seem that the boy was the closest thing to a parent the girls had. And the idea of shadow creatures attacking the girls when Jack came across them did bring some light as to why the girls were so defensive of him. Nodding, He turned to head out when he jumped at the sight of Elsa peeking into the kitchen, pale blonde hair in slight disarray from sleep.

“Papa?” Came the soft whisper, earning Jack’s attention and causing his face to break out into a soft smile. She looked between the two before moving into the kitchen, hugging onto Jack’s waist. “I had a nightmare…” Wrapping his arms around Elsa, Jack didn’t say anything and just held his daughter in his arms until she felt calm enough. Bunny felt a bit awkward about being near the winter duo, but he felt like he had to say something to the young spirit.

“Uh… little sheila.” Bunny said, kneeling down to Elsa’s height and gaining both hers and Jack’s attention. “I wanna say that, I’m sorry for what I said back at Tooth Palace. It wasn’t right of me ta say those things.”

Elsa looked at Bunny before smiling shyly and nodding, reaching a hand out to the Pooka. “I-I’m sorry too. For yelling at you.” She said, earning a smile from the Easter Bunny. They shook hands, only to pull away when they heard North’s cheer.

All three of them headed for the globe room, finding Sandy and Tooth watching an excited looking North. When the trio approached, North turned to all of them. He had the greatest idea ever, collect the teeth. By doing that, the children of the world would still believe in Tooth. The queen tried to dissuade that by telling them about how many children there are and that it was impossible, but both North and Bunny reminded her of their feats done in one night and day. Sandy agreed and even Jack was talked into it by Elsa, who wanted to help out the Tooth Fairy.

Jack was worried about his girls, not wanting to put them in danger like before at Tooth Palace. Elsa, he knew, could handle herself when push came to shove. But the others, they were still young in his eyes. So, with the help of North, Jack was able to talk Phil into keeping an eye on the other four girls. He made sure that they ate when they woke up before bidding them farewell, informing them that other than Phil, Rapunzel was in charge and they knew how to get his attention should they need him. Once everything was said and done, he and Elsa left with the big four to collect the teeth of children.

\--

Elsa was squealing in delight, at the feeling of the Wind carrying both her and Jack through the skies as they went from one continent to the other. This was the most fun she has allowed herself to have in nearly fifty years. Clinging onto her father with one hand, Elsa used her other hand to spread a bit of frost into the air, making snowflakes fall in the appropriate cities. Her cheerfulness made Jack smile as he decided to fly around Bunny, goading him into a race.

The youngest of the group didn’t pay much attention to keeping track of the race, instead having fun in the flight around the world and collecting teeth. She went with every Guardian, slowly letting her walls down as they worked. Whenever she traveled with Bunny, she began to believe that telling him the truth would be easier than she thought. That he would be forgiving and finally put the past behind them and start anew.

_‘I will tell him. I can do it now.’_ Elsa thought, giggling when she and Bunny came into a room with a child who was into contact sports and missing several teeth._ ‘I don’t feel as scared as I did before.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be my last chapter posted in a timely manner. I have work to get back too tomorrow, so my writing will be slowed. Thank you all for your amazing comments and kudos! It is because of all of you that I have the joy of writing this story. ^.^


	8. Chapter 7 - The end of Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally back in Burgess, the Guardians, Jack and Elsa continue to collect the teeth. Elsa comes clean to Bunny and Pitch makes his move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had been beta'd by my friends Nic and Crim and my amazing sister.
> 
> Note: I know this is later than what I had been posting before, but since work started back up again after winter break ended, not to mention the rut I got into when starting this chapter, I was worried it would take me a long time to finish. But now it is finally out and I am getting back into the swing of things. Again, sorry it has taken me so long to post. On another note, I am thinking of changing the title of this story as well as the title of the series to, instead of Daughters of the Seasons, the series will be named the Daughters of Jack Frost.
> 
> Let me know what you all think and any suggestions for a replacement title for this story. I will also be conversing with all my beta readers for their suggestions. So, just be prepared for some name changes.

The night was starting to wear on, and Elsa could feel the need to sleep finally catching up to her as she clung onto Bunny’s back, yawning and snuggling into the warm fur. She had chosen the Pooka because she wanted to talk to him privately, but all she had been able to do was cheer him and Jack on during the race to gather the most teeth and laughing as both men were putting their all into competing against one another. It had been a long time since she laughed so hard, incidentally causing snow and frost to spread out wherever she was placed. Now she was just exhausted and wanted to sleep until morning.

When she and Bunny landed inside another house, Elsa was slightly jostled awake as the Pooka set her down on a window seat so that he could get to work. The boys and Elsa learned that gifts needed to be left behind so that the children knew that the Tooth Fairy had come, something the young winter spirit found funny that he papa had forgotten about. As Bunny worked on leaving an Easter surprise, Elsa decided to lay down for a bit and get a few minutes of rest and recharge before they had to leave again. Blinking her eyes slowly, the young spirit drifted off into sleep, curled up on the window seat.

\--

Bunny had just finished leaving a basket of googies and chocolate when his ears picked up the sound of a second round of deep breathes that would signify sleep. Knowing that the human in this room was sleeping soundly in a single bed, that left the young spirit he had left by the window to be the only culprit. Turning to see just how deep asleep the young spirit was, Bunny’s green eyes were met with the sight of Elsa fast asleep, curled up into as tight of a ball as she could get. Smiling at the sight, the large rabbit moved closer to the spirit and picked her up as gently as he could, trying not to jostle her too much in the process.

Despite her reserved demeanor and sudden bursts of temper, Bunny couldn’t help but find the girl to be adorable. She was obviously troubled about something, and scared of him for some odd reason, but Bunny couldn’t figure out exactly what it was all about. A part of him had thought that her fear was caused by Jack spreading rumors about him to his kids, but that was tossed away when he remembered being told that the older winter spirit would ‘play the part’ of three of the guardians in order for his girls to have childhoods. How Jack did that, Bunny wasn’t entirely sure but it did shed a bit of light on the mischief maker.

Shaking his head, Bunny was about to tap the ground with his left hind paw when he spotted Jack flying by the window. “Jack!” He whispered loudly, deciding to go through the window and get the young man’s help with Elsa. Catching up to the eternal teen took a while since the guardian of Hope didn’t want to chance waking up the young girl in his arms, but he managed to get into hearing distance of Jack when Bunny tried calling him again. “Jack! I think ya need ta take this one, mate.”

Jack turned and saw one of the sweetest sights he had ever laid eyes upon, and raising children had a lot of really cute sights to begin with. His eldest daughter, who physically looked to be entering her young teen years, was curled up into Bunny and one hand was clutching tightly onto the fluffiest part of the Easter Spirit’s chest fur. Bunny, himself, looked like a natural in holding the child spirit in his arms and making sure she didn’t wake up. If Jack had his camera, he would have taken a picture in spite of how embarrassed Bunny or Elsa would be. Shrugging it off as a missed opportunity, the winter spirit floated down to Bunny’s level and gently untangled his daughter’s fingers from the fur before taking her into his arms. Elsa just stirred for a moment before settling down once again into the cool embrace of her papa.

“Thanks Bunny.” Jack whispered, smiling at the Pooka. Said Easter spirit was surprised at the beauty of the simple smile. And was very thankful for the fur he was covered in, save for his nose that was a bit of a darker pink. If Jack saw it, he didn’t mention it. “We should get her to North’s sleigh. At least until we can get back to the Pole.”

The duo searched around the town for North, spotting him at last with Sandy and Tooth in tow and getting ready to head off to another continent. Climbing into the sleigh before take-off, Jack and Bunny settled Elsa into one of the seats and made sure she didn’t toss and turn too much. The winter spirit didn’t seem as into teeth gathering as he was before in the next city, mostly going back and forth between houses and the sleigh to keep an eye on his sleeping daughter and make sure she was dreaming in peace. It was hard trying to concentrate on the important task for Tooth when the Boogeyman was out and causing nightmares to children.

This continues for the next few cities until Elsa wakes up when the group lands in Burgess to gather any missing teeth. Sitting up from her spot, the young winter spirit yawned and rubbed at her face, trying to get the sleep sand out of her eyes and wake up more. She kept quiet when she heard soft voices chatting close to her, her mind registering them to belong to Jack and Bunny once she was a bit more awake.

“So, you have a spring kid, two summer kids, a fall kid and a winter kid.” Bunny said, chuckling and looking at Jack, who was wearing simple white shirt now since he gave his sweater to Elsa to use as a makeshift pillow. “How do ya stay sane? I have heard of stories about some parents having so much stress with only two to three kids.”

“It isn’t easy.” Jack chuckled a bit, thinking of his girls. “But they are my greatest treasures. They… they are what keep me grounded. Even if humans cannot see me and most spirits ignore me, I at least have them.”

What Jack said struck a chord with Bunny and caused his ears to fall back against his head, remembering what he said about people not seeing him. If he thought about it hard enough, he couldn’t remember a time before ‘68 where he and Jack talked. Yes, they saw one another and would greet each other, but never had they had a substantial conversation before now. Even back at the Pole, they just argued about Jack becoming a Guardian like Bunny and the other three. What the spirit was the Guardian of was still a mystery, like most of him.

“Sorry about that, mate… about saying nobody believes in you.” Bunny said, scratching at his ear a bit in embarrassment. Apologies were not his strongest suit, it was his pride that usually stood in the way of that. “It wasn’t fair to say that to you, especially in front of your girls.”

He earned a shrug from Jack and a shake of the head. “I should be used to it. Three hundred years of not being seen and walked through should feel almost normal now.” Jack replied, lightly grasping at his wrist and tracing a thumb along the inside of his arm. Bunny saw the faintest hint of pale lines on the wrist that Jack grabbed, but he wasn’t sure if they were real or if he was seeing things.

Elsa continued to watch them, slowly sitting up and hugging the sweater close to her. The two males weren’t quiet, so she could hear everything. As a regular season spirit, Elsa and her sisters didn’t need to be believed in for their powers, it all just came to them naturally like breathing. To them and every older spirit, being believed in and seen by humans was unnecessary. Her papa Jack was an anomaly, from what she heard other spirits whisper whenever the family comes across one. They said that Jack was a powerful winter spirit, almost rivalling the current Ice Queen and Old Man Winter, but he was lacking something. What that something was, Elsa wasn’t entirely sure but she paid it no mind. It wasn’t her business to pry into these things, because at the end of everything, Jack was her both her dad and mom all at once

Deciding to alert them, Elsa smiled the same mischievous grin her papa and sisters get when they are about to pull a prank. Silent, so as to not alert the Easter Bunny, Elsa decided that a little bit of her magic could be easily controlled and made a snowball above Bunny’s head. She could feel the power crawling under her skin, how much of it was there and for a brief second, she tensed, losing her concentration and causing the little ball of snow to drop onto the Poka’s head. Jack was surprised at the sight of a smashed snowball on Bunny’s head, but couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him.

Both adults turned to look at Elsa, who was looking down at her hands before turning her eyes up at the men and giving a small smile. “Oops…” She whispered, flinching away a bit when Bunny rose. Instantly, her body curled in on itself and her hands went to her head to protect it, her eyes closing tightly. What she wasn’t expecting was a rough paw pad to be gently patting her head.

“No need ta be scared, little sheila.” Bunny said, kneeling down to Elsa’s level. He saw her fear of him as plain as day, even after the short amount of fun they had when collecting the teeth. “I ain’t mad about the snowball.”

“R-really?” Elsa asked, voice small and scared as she looked into the green eyes of the Pooka. She noted the flower pattern within the green eyes of the Easter Spirit and the gentle pats to her head helped to calm her down a bit. Slowly, the young spirit uncurled herself and stood up a bit straighter.

“Really, really.” Bunny replied, gently bumping his forehead against Elsa’s and seeing her smile shyly. He still didn’t understand why she was so afraid, but ever so slowly, he could see her coming out of her shell.

Jack watched the two, letting out a breath he was holding when he watched the two interact. Elsa was still scared, but it was hard to tell if it was her own power that frightened her, or Bunny or both. Neither one noticed the slight snowfall caused by the younger spirit’s fear, but the change in temperature was very noticeable. Jack figured that the Pooka didn’t want to show anything just yet and he was happy to see that Elsa was responding well to the comfort.

“Um… Mr. Bunny…” Elsa started, fidgeting a bit with Jack’s hoodie after picking it up once more. It gave her comfort, almost like a security blanket that she still needed. Even though she tried to break the habit of stealing her papa’s only hoodie.

“Just Bunny.” Bunny stated, smirking a bit at how formal the small spirit was being. She definitely had to pick that up from either Sandy or Emily Jane, since Jack was not the formal type. “None of that ‘Mr’ stuff now.”

“O-ok… Bunny.” Elsa said, taking a deep breath and exhaling to get her nerves under control. She could do this, she had too. If she wanted to be rid of this heavy guilt then she needed to say it now. “I… I need to confess something. A-about the blizzard of ‘68…” She looked behind Bunny to see Jack, whose eyes widened and he was motioning for her to not say it. She knew he only wanted to protect her, he had been doing so since that fateful night nearly fifty years ago. Looking back at Bunny, she saw his confusion and heaved a sigh. “I caused it. I… had accidentally hurt Anna when I was trying to save her when we were all playing. I was scared when she didn’t respond and my emotions took over. It caused the storm and Papa took the blame… so that you wouldn’t know the truth.”

Bunny was at a loss for words, listening to Elsa and not fully comprehending what she was saying. He couldn’t believe that a spirit so young could call forth a blizzard that nearly wrecked his holiday. Looking back at Jack, the Pooka saw how he avoided eye contact and seemed to be busy twirling his staff around in a lazy fashion, almost as if he was trying to keep from spilling the truth. Well, he was of no help. Turning back to Elsa, Bunny watched as she pulled back and looked at the sky to watch the snow fall. He also turned his head to look up at the night sky, seeing the snow fall in a lazy fashion.

Elsa had turned her eyes back to Bunny and she hugged the hoodie tighter to her chest. “Please… don’t hate me for showing you.” She said, catching the Easter Spirit’s attention. Feeling the crawling of magic beneath her skin, Elsa tried to concentrate hard enough to bring forth a slightly stronger snowfall and winds. Control… she had to stay in control. Her hands gripped the blue hoodie in her hands so tightly as she concentrated, though she could still feel the power crawling through her veins. Just under the surface, itching to be let free. She was becoming scared again, shaking as the wind and snow began to pick up with more ferocity. When a pair of cool hands encased her own hands. Snapping her eyes open at the feeling, Elsa’s blue eyes stared into a near matching set as Jack kneeled down in front of his daughter, holding her hands and giving her a comforting smile.

“You got this, Elsa. I know you do.” Jack whispered, giving his eldest daughter encouragement when he saw she was about to lose control. “Remember, deep breathes, relax your muscles and clear your mind. Just like we practice every day.”

Bunny watched as the father-daughter winter spirits went through a breathing exercise as the wind and snow died down until there was barely anything left. That much power stored into such a small body, it was no wonder the girl was a bit of a mess. Losing control could end up with the world in a new ice age. Bunny now understood why Jack had taken the blame for the blizzard way back when. If he had known that it was the smaller spirit that caused the blizzard, he would have lectured her and caused her powers to go out of control even worse that before. Thinking about it, Bunny felt like an ass for holding a grudge over something that couldn’t really be controlled. Shivering at the feeling of the cold, Bunny made his way over when all the snow had stopped and the wind was near non-existent.

“Alright, sheila. I believe ya.” He said, kneeling next to Jack to look into Elsa’s eyes a bit easier. He could see her feelings swimming across her eyes, fear and guilt being the most prevalent, but also hope. His center shown in her eyes when she looked at him. “And I forgive ya. It was an accident and I shouldn’t have been so angry when no damage was done.”

Elsa’s eyes widened at hearing Bunny’s words. He forgave her. A smile began to spread across her face, as slowly, the guilt she had been carrying for the past forty-four years began to chip and fall away. She started to feel lighter and happier at those simple words. Without thinking, she flung herself at Bunny and hugged him tightly, shaking a bit.

“Thank you…” She whispered, feeling his arms wrap around her in return, along with a cool hand resting on her back to show her that Jack was there as well. Maybe now, she could begin to heal properly and learn to control her magic once again.

\--

Once the trio were done and ready, they began searching for teeth once more and Elsa decided to stick with Jack this time around. She clung to his back as he flew through Burgess, catching up with Tooth and the three of them flew together from house to house until making one final stop. It was the boy, Jamie’s house, where they stopped for a bit. Tooth lamented about being out of the field too long, having no longer interacted with the kids as she did once upon a time. Jack comforted the Fairy Queen as best he could before the other guardians showed up.

North proudly proclaimed that he had won in gathering up so many teeth, even though Elsa pointed out that him and the others only added to their first bags while Jack had to constantly fill up a new one. She giggled at the sputtering faces of the three male guardians, only to stop when a light came on and the big four were seen by Jamie. The child was ecstatic, though he couldn’t see neither Jack nor Elsa. The smaller winter spirit saw how it affected her dad, but he shook it off and decided to play a prank on Bunny that included a greyhound and the kid’s alarm clock.

“That is a greyhound.” Jack said, looking at the dog that was growling at Bunny. He had a smirk on his face. “Do you know what greyhounds do to rabbits?”

“Well it is a pretty safe bet that he hasn’t met a rabbit like me.” Bunny replied, staring down Abby as Sandy summoned up a ball of golden dream sand. “Six foot one, nerves of steel, master of tai chi and-” At the sound of the alarm clock being turned on with a tap of Jack’s shepards crook, Abby set off chasing bunny around the room. “Crikey!”

Insanity ensued as Bunny ran all around trying to get the dog to stop chasing him. The other guardians and Elsa tried to help, but the moment the golden ball of sand was sent out it was over.Each one was hit with the sand, being given pleasant dreams as they each fell down. Jack was able to dodge every hit until the ball completely disappeared after hitting North. Jamie was quickly put to sleep after Sandy was able to calm everything down. Jack couldn’t help laughing at the sight of everyone being put to sleep, though the laughter died down the moment he saw Elsa snuggling close to Bunny in her sleep.

“I wish I had a camera.” Jack said as he watched the little scene of his eldest daughter snuggling into the warm fur of the older Spring spirit. He saw the look Sandy gave him and a slight violet blush and frost dusted his cheeks. “What? D-don’t give me that look! I just think that… it is cute how Elsa is beginning to open up a bit with someone outside of our family.”

Sandy just silently laughed at Jack’s flustered face, finding it adorable that the eternal teen was obviously falling for the Pooka. The golden man knew of Jack’s feelings for Bunny for the past thirty years, sometimes catching Jack quietly following Bunny every Easter since ‘68 to just watch how the older spirit worked. Sandy made sure to stay out of sight of the two and would watch how Jack would stay out of sight and smell of Bunny. The little golden man had seen the attraction slowly form but remain hidden within the teen, never seeing the light.

Before they could try and gather the other spirits, Jack and Sandy both caught sight of a Nightmare outside of Jamie’s window. Jack quickly gave chase, calling for Sandy to follow him before disappearing further into town. He chased after the horse-like creature until he hit it with an ice blast that dispersed the black sand and froze it to a rooftop.

“What is this?” Jack whispered, poking at the frozen sand with his staff. It was the same texture of Sandy’s dream sand but more malevolent.

“What are you doing, Jack Frost?” Came the haughty British voice of the Boogeyman from above Jack, causing him to get into a tense fighting position as he looked up at the face of his enemy. “For a neutral party, you are certainly spending quite a bit of time with those guardians.” Golden eyes stared into frosted eyes of the newest chosen guardian and Pitch sneered a bit. “This isn’t your fight.”

“You made it my fight when you stole the teeth and frightened those I care about!” Jack yelled, ready to attack the shade if he made a move.

“Oh? And who did I scare? The five little spirits that were hidden in the sleigh.” Pitch taunted, smirking down when he saw Jack tense even further. “And what, pray tell, are they to you?” Before he was given an answer, Pitch felt a presence beside him and turned to see Sandy glaring up at him with his arms crossed. The sudden appearance caused the shade to jump a few feet away. “Ha ha. Now this is who I have been looking for.” He announced, laughing a bit as he composed himself.

Sandy didn’t wait too long to attack, bringing out his golden whips and striking them out to try and land a hit on Pitch. The taller dream being dodged around the attacks and brought out his scythe, retaliating and fighting against the Sandman. It didn’t take long for Sandy to get the upper hand and whip Pitch around on the roof, slamming him around a bit before throwing him off the roof to land on a car and roll off onto the asphalt. Jack and Sandy both floated down to Pitch to continue the fight if the man didn’t surrender.

“Okay, easy!” Pitch begged, moving back away from the duo as he quickly stood up, trying to put as much distance between him and his opponents. “You can’t blame me for trying, Sandy. You don’t know what it is like. To be weak and hated. It was stupid of me to mess with your dreams. So, I’ll tell you what…” Instantly, the begging and pleading tone were gone as Pitch became serious. “You can have them back.”

In a matter of seconds, both Jack and Sandy were surrounded by Nightmares. There had to be at least a good few hundred surrounding them and leaving no room for escape. They were ready to fight and hope the others come. The sound of sleigh bells did bring hope to Jack, but also dread as that would put Elsa in danger if she were in the sleigh. Sadly, it would seem that the dream sand still had an effect on everyone, as North was flying while asleep and completely missed Pitch and the Nightmares.

Sandy and Jack fought on ground level for a bit before the golden man took the younger spirit and brought him up into the air to try and get more room to fight than on the street. The battle raged on as the Guardians finally awoke and began to help both Jack and Sandy in taking out the Nightmares. Even Elsa began to throw blasts of her ice magic in the hopes of helping in some small way. It was obvious in her attacks that she had been learning a lot from Jack, at least to Bunny when he saw her stance in the sleigh and how her arms were positioned as though she were wielding a staff in some fashion.

Jack was separated from Sandy as the Nightmares surrounded the little man and he tried to get back to him while also fighting off the dark creatures in the air along with Tooth before getting a surprise attack from one and losing his staff. Without it in his hand, the Winter spirit began to plummet towards the earth, trying to catch the shepherds crook before hitting the ground. He was able to grasp onto it and land on one of the wings of the sleigh before he got closer to the earth.

“Ya might wanna duck.” Bunny warned, watching as Jack immediately comply and miss being hit in the head by a boomerang that came back and took out a Nightmare along the way. He smirked at the eternal teen, earning a small smile in return before they turned their focus on the fight once more.

Sandy was all alone in a vortex of nightmare sand, striking at it with his golden whips as much as he can in the hopes of reverting the corrupted grains back into their former golden glory. He was so preoccupied in his task that he didn’t even see Pitch standing high above him on a cloud of black sand. Even the guardians didn’t see Pitch, or an arrow of black sand poised at Sandy until it was too late. To everyone, time began to slow as the black arrow was let free and its aim was true, striking the Sandman in the back. His body began to become corrupted as black sand spread quickly throughout his body, Pitch’s sinister laugh ringing through the night sky. Jack was the first to shoot off towards the cloud of black sand, hoping to save Sandy before it was too late.

“I would say ‘sweet dreams’.” Pitch said, watching as the darkness began to corrupt Sandy. He took great joy in seeing his strongest adversary begin to fall. “But there aren’t any left.”

The small golden man glared up at Pitch, but accepted that he was going to disappear. Before he fully succumbed to the darkness, he thought about his friends and fellow guardians, silently promising that he would return. He thought about Jack and the girls, a ghost of a smile gracing his face for a single moment.

_‘Do not mourn for me, my friends.’_ Sandy thought as he sent out a small bit of golden sand down to Burgess without anyone seeing it. _‘I will be back. When in the darkest hour, I will return. Belief can always be returned so long as one single light remains.’_ With that final thought, Sandy succumbed to the darkness and disappeared from the world, and with him, all of the good dreams of every child on earth save for one.

Jack had tried to make it in time, but when he saw the golden light of his dearest friend fade into darkness, all he saw was red. Pitch had destroyed Sandy, and with him all of the dreams of children. The winter spirit was heading for Pitch, ready to fight him to avenge his fallen friend and mentor. He was met with the nightmare sand, but a burst of unknown strength and power coursed through Jack and in one blast, he sent the dark sand and the Boogeyman flying backwards. It took a lot out of the spirit and sent him free falling down once more, this time in exhaustion.

“Jack!” North cried out, watching the teen fall. Tooth was quick to act as she flew and caught the boy, setting him down in the sleigh where he was hugged instantly by Elsa.

“Jack… how did you do that?” Tooth asked, remembering how brightly Jack glowed and the power he had exerted when he attacked Pitch and the nightmare sand. It was more powerful than any of them had seen the spirit produce during a fight, but it had taken a lot out of him to perform that attack.

“I… I’m not sure.” Jack answered, exhausted as he held his crying daughter and looked at his staff. He didn’t know where that power came from, but he was thankful for it saving his life and sending Pitch back for the time being. But he couldn’t save Sandy with the power.

The group decided to head back to the Pole, and perform the services to their fallen friend. From where he landed, Pitch couldn’t help but laugh in glee at his win against the guardians. They were one man down, leaving only three left and they were nothing compared to his accumulating strength. Now that Sandy was gone, children began to have one nightmare after another, fueling the Nightmare King with their fear. Soon he would no longer be ignored and written off. He would bring about a new Dark Age that will last for all of time. But there was one little itch that he felt when he went up against Jack, something that drew him to the eternal teen. It was a power he hadn’t felt in ages and he sensed it in both Jack and even in the small spirit that was within the sleigh, hidden under many layers of fear.

“Finally…” He panted after calming down and looking at the retreating sleigh. “Someone who knows how to have a bit of fun!” If he could corrupt even just one or both of the Winter spirits, he would be unstoppable. It was time to add more to his plan.


	9. Chapter 8 - Time of Mourning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group takes time to mourn their loss. The girls try to cheer up Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this chapter is late. I am so sorry everyone >.<
> 
> This has been beta'd by my frinds Nic and Crim as well as my amazing sister.

The Pole was near silent as the remaining three guardians, yetis and elves all paid tribute to the Sandman. It was a somber time, as they mourned for their friend and held a funeral for him. The only sounds being made were by the elves, who rang their bells in practiced harmony. Bunny, Tooth and North all sent a silent prayer to the moon that their friend was at peace. As the ceremony was going on, Jack and his girls also mourned the loss of Sandy in a separate room. The girls all cried, some more than others, and Jack tried his best to comfort them all while also bottling up his own sorrow until he could find a quiet place to cry himself. He had to be strong for his kids.

After putting the kids in the guest room for a bit to calm themselves down and find something to entertain themselves, Jack left to be alone. It hurt, not having one of his oldest friends there anymore, and knowing that he could have done something to have saved him. Jack tried to stifle his tears as he took a seat by a window in what appeared to be a sitting room. Curling up onto the window seat, the eternal teen stared out at the expansive white tundra outside, fighting back the tears until his head began to hurt and he just let it all go.

Images of Sandy flashed through Jack’s mind; the little golden man’s smiling face, how excited he got, his sarcastic looks, how he would happily greet the girls. A sob escaped Jack as he thought of his now dead friend. Why didn’t he do something more? Why had he insisted on Sandy coming with him after the nightmare? The winter spirit continued to cry by the window, some of the frost he creates creeping up on the window and a small image of Sandy. It was a hard reminder for the spirit, and all he wished was to be alone to mourn in his own way.

\--

The five young season spirits stood outside of the sitting room, listening to their papa cry for their mentor and friend. They all looked at one another before the four younger sisters looked to Elsa for guidance. They hated hearing their guardian cry, but this wasn’t like all the other times he would cry, this wasn’t a sadness brought up by being walked through. This was a mournful cry that rocked the room and hall, filled with so much emotion that it broke the hearts of anyone who heard it.

Biting her bottom lip, Elsa thought hard on what could be done when the echoing of stomach growls caught her attention. It has been a while since the girls last ate, and none of them wanted to ask Jack to cook, seeing as how he was currently mourning in his own way. Sighing, the eldest of the girls ushered all of her sisters away from the door and towards the kitchen to see if they could raid it for some food. They could not think of ways to help their papa on empty stomachs. As the five of them walked, they kept clear of any of the elves or yetis that were returning to their duties after the ceremony the Guardians had for Sandy.

“Maybe… we can make something for papa?” Moana suggested, looking at her sisters. They had been silent for so long and the youngest of the group was not used to the silence from all of them. “I heard from some humans that eating food can help when someone is feeling upset.”

“But papa doesn’t need to eat like we do.” Anna stated, lightly tugging at her braided pigtails in a nervous habit. “He only does so because we do. He doesn’t really gain anything from eating or sleeping.”

“What kind o’ spirit doesn’t need ta eat or sleep?” A voice asked from in front of the girls, causing them to all stop and scream in surprise. Whipping their heads in the direction the voice came, all five girls sighed at only seeing Bunny leaning against a wall, ears pressed down against his head and neck. One of his paws held an egg while the other had a paintbrush, telling the girls he was not a threat at the moment. “Did ya sheila’s need ta scream my ears off?”

“Sorry, Bunny.” Elsa replied, stepping in front of her sisters to approach the pooka a bit. “We were just not expecting you to be here in the halls.” Looking back a bit at her sisters, she gave them all a comforting smile to let them know that they were safe with Bunny. Turning back to the older spirit, the eldest of the five girls pressed her index fingers together and looking a bit nervous. “I… guess you heard us talking about papa?”

“Yeah, I did.” Bunny replied, going back to painting the egg in his hand and noticing one of the girls instantly move closer to see what he was doing. It was the little spring spirit, Rapunzel if he remembered correctly, that took a keen interest in the egg. Or, to be more precise, the designs he was painting onto the shell. “What did you mean when you said that Jack didn’ need ta eat or sleep?”

“Our papa isn’t really like us.” Anna spoke up, moving closer to Bunny along with Moana to get a better look at the egg as well. “He is labeled as a spirit but…” She didn’t really know how to say what Jack really was. She turned to Moana, but her fellow summer sister just shrugged when they caught each other's eyes.

“Emily Jane said that our papa is a ghost.” Merida said, earning a nod from Elsa. “She said that it was the moon that gave him powers. But also said that we had to keep it a secret from him for some weird reason.”

Bunny quirked an eyebrow at that, not entirely sure why Mother Nature would tell the girls to remain silent on their father’s condition. He would have questioned it further before another wave of growls met his ears and all five of the younger spirits looked sheepish. The questions would have to wait until later, these girls needed food. Stashing away his little googie and the paint brush he was using, the spirit of Easter motioned for them to follow him as he headed for the kitchen. Jack wasn’t in the best condition to care for them on an emotional level right now, so Bunny decided he should help the spirit out in taking care of the girls until he was better. Once inside the kitchen, Bunny started gathering items to make dinner, only to stop when he realised he didn’t know what they all liked.

“Any of you sheila’s have any food preferences, or do ya all just eat whatever Frostbite makes ya?” He asked, turning to look at the young spirits.

“Papa usually makes us meals with lots and lots of veggies.” Anna answered, only to get discreetly elbowed by Merida in the side. “Oh! And cake! Lots and lots of cake.” Looking over, she noticed Rapunzel and Elsa giving her and Merida disapproving looks.

“The cakes we always have are chocolate and decorated with a lot of pretty colors.” Moana piped in, giggling with her fellow trouble makers as the mentions of chocolate and colors cut off any sort of argument the elder two sisters had. However, the look Bunny gave them proved that he was not falling for what they told him.

“Uh-huh… and if I ask Jack, he will confirm that?” Bunny asked, seeing the three girls instantly quiet down and look sheepish. Smirking, Bunny went about making a vegetable spaghetti for the girls to eat, though he did hear them mutter something to one another before they split off to gather their own ingredients. “An’ just what are ya little ankle bitah’s doin’ now?”

“Making a chocolate cake.” Moana answered, manipulating the water from the tap to reach up to one of the top cupboards to retrieve the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. “With lots of colors and extra chocolate.”

“Oi! No dessert before ya eat your dinner.” Bunny said, ducking when Merida flew over him with the full carton of eggs.

“It isn’t for us. It is for papa.” Anna said, carrying a bag of sugar while Elsa carried the flour to where Rapunzel was with a bowl and wooden spoon. “We weren’t wrong about the chocolate cake. Whenever any of us are sad, papa will always make us a chocolate cake, bundle us up in a blanket and just sits with us or talks to us.”

“And right now, he needs us to comfort him.” Merida states, handing the carton of eggs to her sister when asked for them. Each of the girls worked on making the cake, though there was also the beginnings of a mess as Bunny watched them all in between cooking.

Once all the pasta was done and the cake was in the oven, Bunny had the girls sit down at the table and eat their dinner. Four of the five talked near nonstop about anything and everything that they could to Bunny, finally getting the chance to really talk to him. The four of them were all a ball of energy and the Easter spirit felt a warmth he had not felt in such a long time. Looking towards Elsa, the pooka was happy to note that, while quiet, the younger winter spirit happily listened to her sisters talk the rabbit’s ears off.  
When the girls were done, they all helped clean up the mess of dishes before starting on making frosting with Bunny’s instruction. It was all going well until they got to the coloring stage, and then the girls started arguing amongst themselves. Each girl were holding up different colors that they all adored and even some that coincide with their particular seasons. Bunny tried to play mediator between the five young spirits, but his voice was drowned out by their own words. It all escalated to the point when one flung a spoonful of the buttercream frosting at another, and all out war began.

The commotion caught the attention of North, Tooth, Jack and a few of the yetis that were patrolling the halls. Coming to the kitchen, North was about to open the door when Bunny ran out and slammed the door behind him. The pooka was a sight to see, patches of fur covered in melting frosting, different splotches of food coloring and some toy arrows. He had the look of someone who had just witnessed a war for the ages and it made the others wonder what had happened in the kitchen.

“Bunny? Are you okay?” Tooth asked, fluttering down to kneel beside her friend, who slid down to sit on the floor in front of the door, and place a hand on a patch of fur not colored or covered in frosting.

“Jack’s little sheila’s are having a war.” He said, looking up at those gathered, spring green eyes zeroing in on the eternal teen. “Those five are right terrors when it comes ta makin’ somethin’! Everythin’ was peachy ‘til it came down ta colorin’ the frosting!”

Jack raised an eyebrow at Bunny before he looked at the door housing his daughters. He could hear the yells and laughter coming from the room as well as the smell of chocolate. Instantly, he knew what Bunny was talking about, smiling a bit and chuckling at what his daughters had tried to plan. What would he do without them? Shooing Bunny away from the door, Jack opened it and ducked just in time to avoid a bowl of frosting being chucked out of the kitchen. Sadly, Bunny had moved to be right behind him and got a chest full of frosting. A curse escaped the pooka as he looked down at the bigger mess he was covered in.

“Okay girls, I think that is enough.” Jack said, stepping into the kitchen and looking at the warzone. It had seemed that a few bowls of frosting had been made, so there was quite a bit of ammunition the five of them could use. The entire kitchen was covered in frosting and frosting ingredients from the girls throwing them at one another, plus from fruit and even food coloring dyed some spots of the kitchen when it wasn’t on the girls or Bunny. Ice blue eyes moved to look at the girls, who all looked embarrassed at their actions. _‘The clean up is going to be a nightmare…’_ The teen thought, shaking his head and smiling.

“Papa! You can’t be in here yet!” Anna chirped, moving to Jack and starting to push at him. “Your surprise isn’t even finished. You have to wait outside until it is done.”

Merida and Moana instantly followed Anna’s example, pushing at Jack as well to get him to leave the kitchen, while Elsa and Rapunzel tried to salvage some of the frosting that wasn’t yet used and move to another counter where their project was waiting. Surprisingly, the dessert was untouched from their war. When Jack was out of the kitchen, Anna, Moana and Merida moved to grab Bunny and try to drag him back in to resume helping them.

“Oh no, sheilas. I am not goin’ back into that room.” Bunny said, stopping himself from moving when the girls pulled at him. He did not want to be in the middle of another food war with the girls.

“We need help with cutting a few things, and we aren’t really allowed to use knives by ourselves yet.” Moana said, motioning for Merida to move behind the pooka and push him from behind while her and Anna pulled. “So we need someone inside with us to make sure we are doing everything right.”

When Bunny still refused to budge, the girls huffed and ran back into the kitchen. The three remaining guardians and yetis turned to look at Jack, surprised he would lay down rules like that when he, himself, seemed to try and fight against rules. Noticing their looks, Jack just shrugged and waited outside of the kitchen like his daughters told him. A few minutes later, the five young spirits exited the room, carrying a large plated cake with them. It was messily decorated with the remaining frosting and some fruit that was saved from the battle.

“We made this for you, papa.” Rapunzel said, lifting the plate up with her sister for Jack to see.

“We heard you crying about Sandy…” Anna said, seeing how Jack, North and Tooth’s eyes widen at that.

“And since you always make us a chocolate cake when we are sad…” Moana continued, looking a bit sheepish. “We wanted to do the same for you.” Merida finished. They were all hoping that it would be accepted, even if they did kind of destroy the kitchen.

“You don’t have to be sad alone, papa.” Elsa chimed in, leaving her sisters holding the plate up and moving to hug Jack, burying her face into his stomach. “We all miss Sandy. He was important to all of us…”

Jack was stunned at his daughters, before a sad smile broke out onto his face and he moved Elsa back to kneel down and pulled her into a proper hug. The other four instantly joined in after handing the cake off to yeti to hold. Moana looked up at the other guardians and motioned them to join in on the hug, seeing that they were also missing the little golden man. They needed one another right now, and sometimes a good cry was needed for everyone to feel better.

After thirty minutes, the group pulled apart and Jack had to laugh at how they were all now coated in a bit of frosting from the girls and Bunny. Rubbing at his eyes, Jack ushered his girls to all go clean up the kitchen first before they cleaned themselves off. Bunny had gone off to clean his fur of the dyes and frosting.

They all needed this before tackling Pitch once again, though Tooth wasn’t really happy about the amount of sugar and worried about everyone’s teeth. With their spirits renewed, the guardians started to plan their counter attack.


	10. A/N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gotta make a mini announcement

Hey guys. This is Maiden_of_the_Moon_13. I am going to be going on a mini hiatus for a bit to get some chapters properly written up for this fic. It is a lot more slow going than I thought it would be since work and school started back up. I hate making you guys wait for one chapter every single time. Once I have a good amount of chapters written up, I will take this down and start posting again. Until next time.


End file.
